"It's finally time for my battle with Cynthia." Ash was in the Launch Room, waiting for the time for him to step onto the platform. "Many things have happened, but finally, the semi-finals is commencing. I can win this, then I will face off against Paku in the Final Round. I want to battle her again. She was one of my strongest opponents during when she applied for being an Elite Leader during the Dragon Duo days."

"Go for it, Ash!" Espeon cheered. "We'll be with you all the way!"

"Yeah, Ash, go for it. You have their support now." Lucario encouraged.

"Thanks, guys. For believing in me." Ash smiled, just as he heard that it was time for launch. Ash stepped into the platform, and let himself be lifted into the battlefield. As soon as he was out, he realized something odd. The traitors were not among the audience. Usually, they would like to sit in front to watch the battles, but they were not even here today. What is going on here?

He didn't have time to dwell as Cynthia said, "Come on Ash, let's make this battle a meaningful one. I want you to go all out."

"And you too." Ash smiled at her. "Don't hold back."

"Champions, please send out your first Pokémon." Evan ordered.

"Ok, Hydregion, battle dance!" Cynthia chose Hydregion as her first Pokémon.

"Garchomp, lend me your aura!" Ash chose the final evolution of Gible to open the battle.

"It's a battle of Dragon Pokémon! We would never be able to take our eyes off this!" Kenneth remarked, as everyone cheered.

"Let the battle begin!" Evan announced.

"Alright, Hydreigon, let's start things off with Dragon Breath!" Cynthia commanded.

'Absorb the attack with Dragon Claw!' Ash countered. The Dragon Breath was absorbed by Dragon Claw, powering the moves.

"Scary Face!" Cynthia ordered.

'Close your eyes. Sense where Hydreigon is.' Ash thought. Garchomp nodded, and closed his eyes to sense Hydreigon. However, Cynthia was not going to go easy on Ash.

"Hydreigon, Hyper Voice!" Cynthia said.

'Jump.' Ash thought, as Garchomp jumped to dodge the attack and flew down towards Hydreigon to execute the Dragon Claw, hitting Hydreigon.

"And the first attack has been landed!" Kenneth commented, as Hydreigon skidded backwards. "With the skill both Pokémon have, it is sure to be an exciting battle!"

"Hydreigon, Dragon Rush!" Cynthia was not fazed.

'Meet it head on with Aerial Ace.' Ash thought. Both attacks clashed, but Dragon Rush overpowered Aerial Ace and Garchomp was sent upwards.

"Alright! Hydreigon, Flash Cannon!" Cynthia took this chance to attack.

'Use Sunny Day, followed by Flamethrower!' Ash smirked. The Sunny Day powered up the Flamethrower, and Flamethrower was slowly overpowering Flash Cannon. Cynthia noticed this, and said, "Stop the Flash Cannon, move to the side and use Dragon Pulse!"

'Fire Blast! Hide behind it and use Dragon Rush!' Ash commanded mentally. As Sunny Day was still in effect, the Fire Blast was enough to cover Garchomp as it met head on with Dragon Pulse. However, when Cynthia did not see coming was the Dragon Rush, which hit Hydreigon. The sheer power of the moves was clear as Cynthia noticed Hydreigon was slightly tired.

"Heat Wave!" Cynthia was not allowing Ash to make the next move.

'Surf.' Ash countered. The Surf and Heat Wave clashed, and Cynthia took this chance to attack with a Steel Wing. Though it was successful, it left it open for Garchomp's Brick Break, which Ash wasted no time mentally ordering Garchomp to do.

'Now, use Draco Meteor.' Ash thought. The Draco Meteor fell towards both of them, as Cynthia who noticed the move commanded Hydreigon to avoid the Draco Meteor using Acrobatics. Ash smirked, and nodded towards Garchomp, who appeared in front of Hydreigon to use Poison Jab and a Dual Chop.

"Hydreigon!" Cynthia shouted in worry, though Hydreigon got up. "Payback!"

Ash winced as Garchomp was hit with Payback and Cynthia commanded a Fire Blast. 'Ok then, let's use Rain Dance!' Cynthia inwardly groaned as Garchomp easily dodged the Fire Blast as it was weakened by the Rain Dance.

'Alright, Stone Edge, thirty-three degrees North-East.' Ash thought. The Stone Edge did the trick, as Hydreigon did to see it coming, and it fell with swirls in its eyes.

"Hydreigon is unable to battle!" Evan announced. "Champion Cynthia, please send out your next Pokémon."

"Good job, Hydreigon." Cynthia smiled, as she returned it to her Pokéball. "Alright Roserade, battle dance!" She threw the Pokéball to reveal Roserade.

"You did great today, Garchomp." Ash commented, as he returned him to his Pokéball. "Ok, Dusknoir, lend me your aura!" The Pokéball opened to reveal the Ghost-type.

Kenneth then commented, "It looks like an even playing field for this round, as neither Grass nor Ghost type have an advantage or disadvantage over each other."

"Battle begin!" Evan announced.

'Let's start things off with Future Sight!' Ash thought.

"Roserade, let's start things off with Magical Leaf!" Cynthia ordered. Unfortunately for her, Magical Leaf covered the tracks of Future Sight being used, and Ash was able to counter with Will-O-Wisp without a problem.

"Use Energy Ball!" Cynthia commanded as the Will-O-Wisp came flying towards Roserade. The Energy Ball, though not very effective against Fire-type moves, was able to dissipate Will-O-Wisp, impressing Ash.

'Alright, let's use Shadow Sneak.' Ash thought. Dusknoir's shadow zoomed forward until it is behind Roserade and the shadow then raised one of its fists and the it came out of the ground, punching a surprised Roserade from behind.

"Petal Blizzard!" Cynthia said, narrowing her eyes. The Petal Blizzard certainly did cover Roserade's location, but Ash could sense Roserade.

'Fire Punch.' Ash inwardly countered, as Dusknoir punched the Petal Blizzard, burning it. Only for Roserade to be on its face, and under Cynthia's command, use Giga Drain and drained Dusknoir's energy and recovering its own.

'She's gunning for the fact that while I could sense Roserade, I still can't counter the surprise attacks.' Ash thought, marvelling at Cynthia's skills as a Champion. 'Two can play the same game, Cynthia.' Just as he was about to command Dusknoir, the Future Sight came down, and attacked Roserade, surprising everyone as they did not see the moment he fired the Future Sight.

"When?" Cynthia asked.

"It was my very first move." Ash replied. "Because you used Magical Leaf, you didn't see the attack coming." It dawned on Cynthia that in this case she was hoisted by her own petard, but grinned as she knew that the fun battle was just getting started.

'Alright, let's use Trick Room!' Ash smiled. Cynthia gasped as the Trick Room surrounded the battlefield, enclosing both Roserade and Dusknoir inside.

'I better take a risk.' Cynthia thought. "Roserade, use Toxic Spikes...twice!" Roserade threw Toxic Spikes twice into the battlefield, as Ash non-verbally commanded Dusknoir to use Infestation, where insects surrounded Roserade, draining its health, and Cynthia knew it would last a while.

"Shadow Ball!" Roserade fired the move, and as Ash knew that dodging would most likely cause Trick Room to shatter, he decided to meet it head on with Psychic and aimed it back towards Roserade.

"Sludge Bomb, quickly!" Cynthia commanded. Roserade fired the move, successfully dissipating Shadow Ball.

'Blizzard, let's go!' Ash thought. Dusknoir fired the move at Roserade, and Roserade shivered as it struggled not to be blown away.

"Just charge." Cynthia nodded. Roserade struggled to get closer to Dusknoir as its health was eaten away by Infestation. Ash was puzzled, until Cynthia said, "Toxic, now!"

'Gate out of the way!' Ash thought, though it was too late as even with the new speed of Dusknoir, it would not dodge the point-blank Toxic, causing Dusknoir to be badly poisoned. Ash sighed as he retaliated with Focus Blast, sending Roserade back. 'Nice work, Cynthia, but I am not unprepared. Use Rest.' Dusknoir nodded, and fell asleep.

"Dream Eater!" Cynthia took this moment to attack. Roserade managed to get a little of the health before Ash commanded Dusknoir to use Sleep Talk, which turned out to be Ice Beam, freezing Roserade's legs. Roserade struggled as Infestation leeched away at its health.

"Sunny Day, followed by Solar Beam!" Cynthia said, not about to give up.

'I shall meet you head on. Hyper Beam!' Ash thought. Due to Sunny Day, Solar Beam took a lot less time to charge and it clashed with Hyper Beam. Ash sensed that Trick Room had worn off and the attacks reflected off to hit both the Pokémon. When the smoke cleared, the Hyper Beam was revealed to have freed Roserade from the ice it was trapped in. Both of them panted as they stared at each other. Roserade smiled, before falling with swirls in its eyes.

"Roserade is unable to battle! Champion Cynthia, please send out your next Pokémon." Evan announced.

"And that is two Pokémon down from Champion Cynthia's side!" Kenneth commented. "Will she turn it around in the next round? Let's find out."

"Spiritomb, battle dance!" Cynthia threw her Pokéball in the air.

"Infernape, lend me your aura!" Ash switched out for the Coal Pokémon. As soon as it landed in however, it got badly poisoned, thanks to the two layers of Toxic Spikes.

"Let the battle begin!" Evan announced.

'Start things off with Dig infuse with flare blitz.' Ash thought, knowing he had to get rid of the Toxic Spikes first. Infernape nodded, and dig around, and purple and red smoke coming out of the battlefield indicated the ridding of the Toxic Spikes. 'I better find a chance to try and get rid of the badly poisoned status on Infernape.'

'Ah, so that is why Ash chose Infernape.' Cynthia thought. "Alright Spiritomb, let's use Rock Tomb!"

'Let's get close to Spiritomb.' Ash thought, looking at the Sunny Day that is still in effect from the previous battle. 'Infernape Counter with Fire Blast!' The Fire Blast blasted the Rock Tomb apart and made its way towards Spiritomb.

"Psychic!" Cynthia commanded. Infernape was lifted in the air, and Spiritomb got ready to slam it to the ground.

'Protect!' Ash thought, as Infernape was slammed to the ground, but got up because Protect protected it. Ash gritted his teeth as Infernape's health was drained even further and with Spiritomb's Pressure, Infernape had to exert more energy than usual to make its move.

"Dark Pulse." Cynthia called out

'Flame Charge!' Ash said. The two attacks hit each other, sending each other flying. Ash noticed Sunny Day was wearing off, and he thought, 'No regrets, Cynthia. Infernape, let's use Overheat!' Infernape sent a powerful Overheat towards Spiritomb, who countered with Hyper Beam, causing a huge explosion, covering the entire battlefield.

"Spiritomb!" Cynthia called out, as Spiritomb was revealed to be standing, but was tired, and groaned as the Toxic took more of its health away. "Use Shadow Ball!"

'Heat Wave, let's go!' Ash commanded. The Heat Wave overpowered Shadow Ball, hitting Spiritomb. Spiritomb shook its head, and got back to battle stance. 'Now, use Flame Charge!'

"Oh yeah? Use Hypnosis!" Cynthia called out, and Infernape was hit, causing it to fall asleep. "Now, Nightmare, follow it up with Dream Eater!" Ash widened his eyes as he knew that Infernape would lose health during the battle as long as it stays asleep.

'I won't let you. Sleep Talk!' Sleep Talk turned out to be Stone Edge, allowing Infernape to keep Spiritomb at a distance, though Spiritomb was eventually able to absorb some of Torkoal's energy eventually.

'Use Sleep Talk one more time!' Ash thought. Ash knew that would be the final move, when Sleep Talk turned out to be Flamethrower knocking Spiritomb out.

"Spiritomb unable to battle! Champion Cynthia, please send out your next Pokémon?"

" Do you think Cynthia can take down at least one of Ash Pokémon?" Jasmine asked the group.

"I'll give at most two." Jude said.

Ash looked up to see Pakura missing in the VIP Box and everyone betting, probably on the outcome of their match, and knew she would be the one taking it the hardest, considering her Pokémon was all she had for the past five years and she felt she was hurting them with Mega Evolution. He hoped she was alright, as both of them prepared to send out their next Pokémon.

__________________________________________________________________________

"Good." Phillip nodded, as Lance noted Ash was left with Five Pokémon, and Cynthia was currently having her fourth one, which was a Lucario, out in the battlefield. Lucario looked like it still can go for one more battle, which is to be expected of a Champion's Pokémon.

Ash took a deep breath and took out one of his Luxury Balls. "Mewtwo, lend me your aura!"

"So, you decided to use your legendaries, huh?" Cynthia commented, as Mewtwo showed off his terrifying aura for all to see, intimidating everyone, but merely making Ash sweatdrop. "This is going to be fun!"

'May I ask the reason why I sense hesitation in you, Ash?' Mewtwo asked telepathically, immediately knowing something was up.

Ash shook his head. 'It's nothing Mewtwo. Just feeling a little stressed.'

'This is not stress.' Mewtwo replied, glaring at Evan to make him give them some time to talk. 'This is when you heard something bad happened and you feel guilty. I remember because the last time you had this look, It was years ago.' Sometimes, Ash wished Mewtwo's memory wasn't so good, but then again if it wasn't he wouldn't be a psychic type legendary. 'Now spill. What bad news did you receive this time?'

'Well, Paku came to me on the research done on Mega Evolution and how we could have been hurting our Pokémon...maybe Mega Evolution was a mistake...' He was cut off when Mewtwo lifted him in the air with Psychic and levelled its face to his.

'Are you still stuck on that line of thinking?' Mewtwo growled, shaking Ash. 'Is some research all it took for you to stop believing in the strength of your Pokémon?'

'I don't want to hurt them anymore!' Ash protested.

'They are not. But they will be if they find out how little you think of them to not be able to withstand the power of the bond you have together that is shown through Mega Evolution!' Mewtwo glared at him. 'Tell me again Ash, what makes the Prince of the PAL Region?'

'Uh...someone who would protect all Pokémon and shower them with love and care they need no matter the circumstances, no matter the origins and no matter the trouble I would have to go through to help the Pokémon.' Ash recited.

'Then do your duty and believe in your Pokémon until the very end!' Mewtwo said. 'They want to win this battle for you because they love you in turn! If they want to Mega Evolve, let them!'

'I...I will...' Ash said resignedly in his mind, as Mewtwo put him down.

"Can I start the battle now?" Evan asked the two Champions, as everyone wondered what was going on with the Champions as they seemed to have something in their minds.

"Yes." Ash and Cynthia said in unison, as Evan said, "Well then...Battle begin!"

'Mewtwo, let's start things off with Mist! Follow it up with Future Sight and Shadow Ball!' Ash commanded. Mewtwo created a thick cloud that covered the entire battlefield, allowing it to use Future Sight without anyone noticing.

Cynthia wondered what he was up to, until she noticed the Shadow Ball. "Lucario, Focus Blast! Follow it up with Shadow Claw!" The Focus Blast hit Shadow Ball, and Lucario wasted no time to hit Mewtwo with a super-effective Shadow Claw. Mewtwo, who put up its arms in time to block it, skidded backwards. Due to Mewtwo's Pressure, Lucario had to exert more power to execute Shadow Claw.

'Mewtwo, grab hold of Lucario with Psychic and use Earthquake, and once it's sent upwards, use Fire Blast.' Ash thought. Mewtwo nodded, and used Earthquake, preventing Lucario from escaping using Psychic. When Lucario was sent flying, Mewtwo sent a point-blank Fire Blast, damaging Lucario further. Lucario landed on the ground on its feet, staggering somewhat.

"Lucario, are you alright?" Cynthia asked. Lucario nodded, as Cynthia said, "Ok, Dragon Pulse! After that, get close and use Bone Rush!"

'Counter Dragon Pulse with Energy Ball. After that, use Grass Knot!' Ash countered. While Lucario did trip over Grass Knot, it freed itself with Bone Rush and Cynthia called for a Close Combat as the light green bone of energy was still there.

'Mewtwo, let's go for Fire Punch and Drain Punch.' Ash mentally commanded, as Lucario raised its bone, ready to perform Close Combat, while Mewtwo readied both moves. Both of them engaged in what looked like a hand-to-hand combat style battle. It was so fast it was a blur to most of them.

"Neither of them is giving an inch!" Kenneth gasped, watching the Pokémon try to get the upper hand. "Everyone is mesmerised by the action packed duel by Mewtwo and Lucario!"

"High Jump Kick!" Cynthia commanded.

'Low Kick.' Ash thought. Mewtwo did it just in time to meet Lucario's High Jump Kick, and took this chance to hit Lucario with a Fire Punch, sending it flying.

"Psychic!" Cynthia ordered, and Lucario did it just as it was about hit the ground. Lucario lowered itself slowly down, and faced Mewtwo in a battle stance.

'Just hang on, Lucario.' Cynthia thought. 'There is still a trump card I haven't pulled out yet.' Just as she said this however, the Future Sight attacked, hitting Lucario with electrified psychic energy.

"Not again!" Cynthia groaned, as Ash thought, 'Now Mewtwo! Use Disable!' Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and Lucario was outlined in light blue briefly.

"Lucario, use Psychic, followed by Metal Sound!" Cynthia knew that she should slow Mewtwo down first. Only for Lucario to be unable to use Psychic for some strange reason. 'Disable?' Cynthia was surprised, as Lucario performed Metal Sound, causing Mewtwo to cover its ears and jump out of range above.

"Stone Edge!" Cynthia called out. "Follow it up with Focus Blast!"

'Hit it back with Iron Tail!' Ash thought. Cynthia must have expected it, as she said, "Flash Cannon, and then use Swords Dance!"

'Signal Beam!' Ash commanded, but it was a little too late as Cynthia got Lucario to absorb the attack with Metal Claw and hit Mewtwo, making it skid backwards.

"High Jump Kick!" Cynthia commanded.

'Gravity.' Ash snapped his fingers. The Gravity took effect, and Lucario crashed onto the ground. Because it missed, it caused recoil damage that went straight to the leg it was going to use to perform the move. Lucario also started panting as the Pressure Mewtwo was putting on it was taking its toll and the fact that it had battled Smeargle earlier did not help matters either. He smiled as he noticed a familiar black haired girl make her way back to the VIP Box, and tuned to continue his match.

Pakura opened the door to the VIP Box, and everyone turned to stare at her as she had a bag with her which she certainly didn't have when she left the VIP Box for her battle earlier.

"What's in the bag?" Jasmine asked.

"See for yourself." Pakura muttered as she tossed the bag to the nearest person, who happened to be Phillip. Phillip looked into the bag. "Ooh, ice lollies!" he said, taking the same chocolate flavoured one Pakura was eating earlier and opening it to snack on it. He tossed it to Jude, who got one grape flavoured one for himself and passing it on to a giggling Jasmine.

"Do we get any?" Wallace was speaking from behind them. "We want one too!"

"Let's see, there is enough for everyone." Phillip replied thoughtfully, holding the bag of lollies. "But I really want all those lollies to myself."

"Come on, Phillip!" Whitney's eyes was shining at the sweet treats. "I want a lolly too."

"Just do it, Phil." Pakura sounded bored. "I can always make something sweet for you later."

"Fine." Phillip pouted, which most found cute, and passed the bag to the nearest person, which is Lucian. Everyone was taking the flavours they like and soon, everyone was eating an ice lolly of various flavours while watching the match between Mewtwo and Lucario.

"Why did you buy all those ice lollies?" Jude asked.

"Well, Lance bought me one and I found it quite nice, so I'd thought I'd get some for you all. I knew Phillip eats a lot of sugar hence why I bought an entire bag." She gestured towards the others eating ice lollies. "This wasn't part of the plan."

"So you can be nice when you want to." Jude smirked.

"Nice is not what I'll describe myself." Pakura replied, shooting Jude a look. "After all, that would apply to what we call heroes."

"Yeah, I like the concept of it, but I don't really want to be one." Phillip agreed.

"Becoming a hero is not a good thing?" Jasmine asked.

"Let me tell you something. A hero is someone who would share. But we are people who don't share for our own reasons, thank you very much." Phillip replied, watching Cynthia command Lucario to use Reversal, which was effective, considering its low health. Ash retaliated by getting Mewtwo to use Recover and follow it up with Psystrike, sending Lucario flying. "Sure, we protect the region and all, but we lack the noble qualities heroes have."

"I don't think this is how you define heroes..." Lance muttered, but was cut when Evan announced that Lucario was unable to battle, and requested Cynthia to send out her next Pokémon.

"Glaceon, battle dance!" Cynthia chose the Ice Eeveelution next.

"Thank you for everything Mewtwo." Ash chose to return the Psychic-type Legendary, and took out another Pokéball. "Chesnaught, lend me your aura!" The Pokéball opened to reveal the Spiny Armor Pokémon.

'Now that is a Pokémon I never really seen before.' Cynthia thought, just as Ash said, "Cynthia, in case you are wondering, Chesnaught is a Grass and Fighting type."

"Why thank you, Ash." Cynthia smiled, knowing Ash usually liked to play on an even field just as Evan announced for the battle to begin.

"Glaceon, use Shadow Ball!" Cynthia commanded. The Shadow Ball hit Chesnaught, and when the smoke cleared, Chesnaught stood there unfazed. Cynthia was puzzled as from the typing, Chesnaught shouldn't be immune to Ghost-type moves, until she saw Ash trying not to laugh.

Ash waved his hand and shook his head. "Cynthia, Chesnaught's Ability is Bulletproof."

"What's Bulletproof?" Cynthia was puzzled.

"Bulletproof grant the user immunity from ball and bomb moves, as well as some cannon-based attacks." Ash explained. "That is why moves such as Shadow Ball won't work on Chesnaught."

"Well, that doesn't mean I can't use other moves. Use Iron Tail!" Cynthia ordered.

'Yeah? Use Spiky Shield.' Ash thought. Chesnaught formed the shield just as Glaceon brought the tail down, protecting it from attacks as well as damaging Glaceon. Glaceon winced in pain as he was impaled by the spikes protruding from the shield.

'We should avoid getting too close.' Cynthia thought.

'Let's use Rollout.' Ash commanded mentally.

"Use Ice Beam and make a ramp!" Cynthia countered. The ramp made Chesnaught slip upwards, surprisingly Ash. "Now, use Signal Beam!" Chesnaught winced as it was hit by the Signal Beam and fell heavily to the ground.

"Are you alright, Chesnaught?" Ash asked, as it got up.

"Just fine." Chesnaught replied. Ash nodded, and continued to command Chesnaught. 'Use Sludge Bomb!'

"Mirror Coat!" Cynthia ordered.

'Quickly, counter with Energy Ball!' Ash said mentally as the Mirror Coat reflected the attack back towards Chesnaught. The explosion that resulted was enough to act as a chance for Cynthia to use Hail. Ash frowned when he saw the Hail damaging Chesnaught. What was more, Glaceon was moving through the battlefield like a ghost. Unlike the battle with Paul however, Ash knew Glaceon won't be taken down easily. His eyes followed Glaceon's movement and Chesnaught was looking around, confused.

'Stay calm, Chesnaught.' Ash thought. 'Glaceon will stop to attack. And that is when we can strike.'

"Now, use Blizzard!" Cynthia commanded.

'Vine Whip!' Ash countered. Chesnaught was blown by Blizzard but managed to grab hold of Glaceon. 'Pull it close and use Drain Punch!'

"Ice Shard!" Cynthia ordered. Chesnaught turned its head away as it was pelted by Ice Shard and blindly threw Drain Punch. However, it was lucky as the Drain Punch did hit Glaceon and it recovered some of its energy while dealing damage to Glaceon.

"Frost Breath!" Ash saw Glaceon open his eyes and fire the said move at Chesnaught, and knew it was a critical hit.

'I need to change the weather.' Ash thought. 'Sunny Day, and follow it up with Synthesis.' The Sunny Day overwrote Hail, and increased the health recovered via Synthesis.

"Left yourself open. Ice Fang!" Cynthia countered. Ash winced as Glaceon bit down on Chesnaught's hand, and slowly freezing it.

'Poison Jab!' Ash commanded. With its free hand, Chesnaught swiped Glaceon away with Poison Jab, who did a backflip and landed safely on the ground. Luckily for Cynthia, Glaceon did not get poisoned. 'Now use Dual Chop!'

"Meet the attack with Iron Tail!" Surprisingly, Glaceon was able to stop Dual Chop with Iron Tail, and jumped on Chesnaught's arms, hitting it on the face with the move, causing it to stagger backwards. "Now, use Dig!"

'Big mistake, Cynthia.' Ash thought, as he waited for Glaceon to get directly underneath Chesnaught. 'Now, Earthquake! Follow it up with Super Fang!'

'He was waiting?' Cynthia gasped, as Chesnaught performed a powerful Earthquake, sending Glaceon out, and biting down on Glaceon, cutting his health in half.

"Hyper Voice!" Cynthia hastily ordered. Glaceon successfully immobilized Chesnaught with Hyper Voice, and it was then hit with Water Pulse under the orders of Cynthia.

'Needle Arm!' Ash thought.

"Aqua Tail!" Cynthia countered, as both attacks met and they fought for dominance.

'Let Glaceon overpower you. Once it is close, use Spiky Shield!' Ash mentally commanded. As Glaceon overpowered Needle Arm and was about to hit Chesnaught with Aqua Tail, Chesnaught used Spiky Shield once more, piercing Glaceon, causing him to jump back. 'Ok, Seed Bomb!" Glaceon was then pelted with the move that exploded on contact, trying to endure the move.

"Use Blizzard!" Cynthia pointed to Chesnaught.

'Don't let up. Use Stone Edge!' Ash thought. The Blizzard and Stone Edge were reflecting off each other, frustrating both sides.

'Gyro Ball!' Ash thought. 'I'll have to meet Blizzard head on.' Chesnaught jumped and spun in a ball towards Glaceon.

"Ice Beam!" Cynthia said when she saw Chesnaught coming. Glaceon fired it, but it was not enough to push Chesnaught back and he was hit by the Gyro Ball.

"Giga Impact!" Cynthia knew she had to end it.

'Wait for my signal.' Ash thought, looking at the charging Glaceon. 'Now, use Flash!' Flash successfully threw Glaceon off, completely missing Chesnaught with the Giga Impact.

'Now, use Focus Punch!' Ash grinned.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes. "Oh no you don't! Iron Tail!" The Focus Punch hit Glaceon in the abdomen while the Iron Tail hit Chesnaught on the head. Both of them landed on the ground, but got up, giving each other a stare down. Eventually Chesnaught got onto one knee but supported itself with its hands and got up again, while Glaceon fell to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Glaceon is unable to battle! Champion Cynthia, please send out your final Pokémon!" Evan declared.

"And Champion Cynthia is left with her final Pokémon, while Champion Ash still has five left!" Kenneth announced, as the audience cheered. "Can Champion Cynthia clinch the win or is Champion Red assured the win?"

Chesnaught, who was now kneeling, smiled as Ash said, "Good job, Chesnaught. I'm proud of you." With that, he returned it to its Pokéball, just as Cynthia sent out Garchomp, who is her most powerful Pokémon.

"I can't remember the last time I was put in a corner like this." She remarked. "I'm having fun in this battle."

"Oh boy, this is going to be a big trouble. I'll just go with a Dragon-type." Ash muttered. "Ok, Garchomp, lend me your aura again!"

"And it looks like Champion Ash is going for his Garchomp once more! This will be an interesting battle of Garchomps! Whose Garchomp is more powerful? Let's find out right here, right now!" Kenneth commented. "After all, whoever wins would face Princess Pakura herself in the Final Round!"

"Cynthia is impressive, to be able to take down two of Ash's Pokémon. However, this is as far as she would get." Phillip commented, as Evan said, "Let the battle begin!"

"Champion Ash's Garchomp is unable to battle!" Evan held his hand up. "Champion Ash, please send out your next Pokémon!"

"And with the Attract and Draco Meteor combination, Ash's Garchomp was put out of commission!" Kenneth commented. "What would Champion Ash do to avenge his fallen Garchomp?"

Ash knew from his scoreboard that he had one Pokémon left and four more than he could use. However, he decided that the next Pokémon would decide the entire round for him.

"Sorry Cynthia, but this win is mine." Ash said as he released the Pokémon.

"Arceus, what's with this heat?" Steven complained, as he went to the controls to lower the air conditioner on with full blast.

"What kind of Fire-type can emit this type of heat anyway?" Flint wondered.

"This just shows the power of his Pokémon." Lucian nodded. "Just like how Pakura's Ice-type Pokémon emit coldness."

"I didn't expect Ash to pull out this Pokémon for the battle." Pakura muttered.

"You went against this Pokémon before?" Lance was surprised.

"Yeah, It defeated three of my Pokémon and won for Ash. When he took on the Elite challenge. It'll be interesting to see how much it has grown." Pakura replied, as the glow died to reveal a Charizard wearing two Mega Stones, one on its neck and another at the tip of its tail. Ash's Charizard roared, causing the entire arena to shake slightly as if it had performed Earthquake.

"Let the battle begin!" Evan announced.

'Garchomp is still roughed up from the previous battle. If I don't do something, she'll meet a swift KO if we're not careful...' Cynthia thought. "Garchomp, respond to my heart! Mega Evolve!" Garchomp's Garchompite reacted to Cynthia's Key Stone located on her wrist, allowing Garchomp to Mega Evolve into Mega Garchomp.

"Garchomp, let's start things off with Dragon Rage!" Cynthia commanded.

'Hit it back with Brutal Swing!' Ash countered. Charizard merely swung its body around, deflecting the Dragon Rage and sending it back towards Mega Garchomp, who sliced it in half with its scythe-like arms.

"Twister!" Cynthia ordered, and a cyclone whipped up around the battlefield.

'Air Slash!' Ash thought. The Air Slash hit and successfully cut the Twister in half, but Ash found a Fire Blast heading towards them. 'Aerial Ace, go!' The Aerial Ace absorbed the Fire Blast, turning Aerial Ace a fiery orange and slammed into Mega Garchomp, causing her to stumble backwards, but recovered quickly.

"Crunch!" Cynthia called out, and Mega Garchomp bit down on Charizard's arm, causing it to howl in pain.

'Flame Charge, and follow it up with Dragon Tail!' Though it was not very effective in terms of dealing damage, it was enough for Mega Garchomp to let go. The Dragon Tail send Mega Garchomp flying but it used her feet to create momentum to jump back into the battlefield.

'What power!' Cynthia thought, noticing her Mega Garchomp was already shaking.

'Now, use Flamethrower!' Ash smiled. Charizard opened its mouth and fired a large Flamethrower across the arena, heading towards Mega Garchomp at an incredible speed. Mega Garchomp held up an arm to stop it, similar to how she had blocked Paul's Weavile's Blizzard all those years ago, but found herself skidding backwards from the sheer power of the move and even hit the wall.

"Use Earthquake!" Cynthia commanded, just as Ash thought, 'Fly up!' This caused Earthquake to miss as Charizard looked down on Mega Garchomp.

"Stone Edge! Follow it up with Attract!" Cynthia said, pointing to Charizard.

Ash snapped his fingers. 'Counter!' Charizard's body became outlined in orange, and as Stone Edge hit Charizard, the attack was sent back to Mega Garchomp, causing her to be hit instead. It also destroyed the hearts made by Attract.

"Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered.

'Aerial Ace!' Ash decided to meet her head on. Both attacks clashed, and to the surprise of many, Aerial Ace was able to keep up with Dragon Rush. Both were eventually sent backwards from the force of the opposing attack.

'Now, use Dragon Claw!' Ash thought.

"Dual Chop!" Cynthia was relentless in her attacks. While the Dual Chop blocked one of the Dragon Claw, it did not stop the other, and Mega Garchomp was sent backwards, shocking everyone.

Everyone who were watching the match in the VIP Box were in shock, except for Pakura. The power of Ash's Charizard was completely astounding as it could match and exceed Cynthia's Mega Garchomp blow for blow even without Mega Evolution! Even the Fire-type Masters were awed, especially the Fire-type Elite member Flint.

"I don't think my Fire-types can do that..." Flint muttered to his Elites, his tone having hints of admiration and jealousy in them. Then again, who could blame him? He was supposed to be the Fire-type Master and yet a fairly new Champion just had ownership of a Fire-type that would outclass any of his Fire-type Pokémon any day.

"I want to battle him!" Lance sounded excited, and Ash girlfriend sighed.

"I'll consider arranging one if you can defeat me. Which is probably never." Pakura replied,

"Time for the main event." Ash announced, as Charizard picked the Mega Stone on its neck to react with Ash's Key Stone in his Mega Glove. "Charizard, let our auras become one! Mega Evolve!" Charizard's skin turned black with a sky blue underside extending from the lower jaw to the tip of the tail. The flames on its tail turned blue and more intense and its eyes were now red with white pupils.

"Type-wise, Cynthia is now at an advantage." Phillip commented.

"Does it matter?" Pakura asked, shooting Phillip a look as Jude shook his head.

"The only one who would care was Rosaline." Phillip said in Japanese so no one but Pakura can understand him. "Then again, she is the one who claimed type disadvantage when she lost to me."

"That was why I battled her to test the theory." Pakura deadpanned. "I had the disadvantage against her Fire-types and I used all Ice-types. Look how well that went. She's not a weak Pokémon Trainer, since she can hold her own against Champions but she still has a long way to go before she can officially call herself one of us. Plus Ash is a younger member of the Dragon Duo "

"What are they talking about now?" Grimsley asked Jude.

"Don't ask me, I don't understand that language. Don't mind it, we have the habit of switching to other languages when we feel like it." Jude shrugged, as he watched Mega Charizard X use Heat Wave, which was blocked by Mega Garchomp's Surf and then it hit Mega Charizard X with Bulldoze. Due to Mega Garchomp's Sand Force Ability and Mega Charizard X's new weakness to Ground type moves, the damage dealt was higher.

'I can see why Cynthia is the Champion and why Garchomp is her most powerful Pokémon.' Ash thought. 'Charizard, use Solar Beam! Follow it up with Fire Blast and then Flare Blitz!' Due to the fact that at one point Sunny Day had been used, and Solar Beam was fired fast enough for Mega Garchomp to be hit. The Fire Blast came soon after, which Mega Garchomp blocked, but she was not prepared for the Flare Blitz, which literally hit her like a truck. However, Mega Charizard X suffered recoil damage, which it shook off quickly.

"You're good, Champion Ash, but I will prevail." Cynthia called out to him. "Aerial Ace!"

'Flame Charge!' Ash thought. As both clashed, Cynthia called for a Dual Chop, which hit Charizard, but Ash did not seem fazed, as he mentally commanded Charizard to use Will-O-Wisp, inflicting Mega Garchomp with the Burn status. Mega Garchomp's health was steadily taken by the Burn status and the fact that she was getting tired did not help matters.

"Outrage, go!" Cynthia knew that she had to take out Mega Charizard X. Mega Garchomp's eyes glowed red and her body was outlined in a red aura, causing her to go on a rampage, firing a variety of known moves, where some damaged Mega Charizard X.

'Protect!' Ash countered. The attacks glanced off the bluish shield, but knew that Mega Charizard X cannot hold it for long. Just then, Mega Garchomp fired a Draco Meteor that was sure to rain down on Mega Charizard X if not careful.

'Air Slash!' Ash ordered, as Mega Charizard X fired it at the falling meteors, destroying them effectively.

When Ash saw Mega Garchomp charge towards Mega Charizard X with Giga Impact, he narrowed his eyes. 'Use Blast Burn!' Mega Charizard X's body became engulfed in light blue flames and it punched the ground, sending a wave of energy into the earth underneath Mega Garchomp. The energy then burst upwards in a giant explosion of red-orange flames.

Ash widened his eyes as he still sensed Mega Garchomp hit Mega Charizard X with Giga Impact, but smiled as he realized the verdict of the battle before the smoke even cleared. Everyone waited with bated breath for the smoke to clear to confirm the fate of the two Pokémon. When it did, Cynthia gasped and everyone was looking in shock as Mega Charizard X was standing proud and tall, but Mega Garchomp was down with swirls in her eyes and the Mega Evolution energy wore off, turning her back to normal.

Evan gulped, before saying, "Garchomp is unable to battle! Mega Charizard X wins! Which means the one moving on to the Final Round is Champion Ash!"

Everyone screamed and cheered when the winner was declared, as Kenneth said, "A great finish to an entertaining battle! After the long six-on-six Semi Final Round between Champion Cynthia and Champion Ash, it is confirmed that Elite Pakura and Champion Ash would duke it out in the Finals to see who the true Pokémon Master is! Will it be Elite Leader Pakura or the youngest member of the Dragon Duo Ash Ketchum."

Everyone gasped including the champion elite and gym leaders except for PAL Elite

The stadium then suddenly became silent, as they comprehended Ken's words.

'Oh shit.' Pakura thought. 'His secret's exposed. I forgot Ken was the one that crowned him.'

"Wait what?" Clair was shocked. "Did he just say Ash is the youngest of the Dragon Duo?"

"How ironic, though." Drake said thoughtfully. "

"Is it true, Champion Ash?" Evan asked, and a hush fell over them again, waiting for Ash's answer. Ash eyed the townspeople fighting security to get to him, and non-verbally teleported away, confirming their answer, as the Dragon Duo were also powerful psychics.

Back in the VIP Box, Clair whispered "I'm going to find him and request for a battle." With that, she left, followed by her fellow Dragon users.

______________________________________

When Lance walked into his floor, he saw an angry Clair waiting for him. When she saw him, she immediately pounced on him.

"Where were you, Lance?" She demanded. "I've been trying to reach you for hours, but you weren't answering your Pokégear."

"I had to turn off my Pokégear. I was helping the PAL Elites in with securing Ash to rest who had suddenly just fell from exhaustion after he and I were battling ." Lance tried to be casual, as if it was no big deal, which it wasn't anyway. "Furthermore, I..."

But Clair wouldn't let Lance finish. She was in a state of shock, before saying, "Did you say the PAL Elites and Ash?"

"Er...yeah." Where was this going?

"Did you mean you got to spend your time in Ash's company, while the rest of us has to run around and look for him?" Clair hissed. "We have been looking for him in all the places he could be in, and we got thrown out at some places for causing a disturbance! And you get to be all chummy with him, and-"

"Clair, I can mean anyone when I say PAL Elites. He is not the only PAL Elite but the champion. Beside he is still not used to us again Clair." Lance said calmly. taping of his interview, Ash did saunter out of the Tower, and he didn't show up for lunch.

"But it's unfair, you got to battle him." Clair muttered.

"It was only a training practice his Garchomp against my Garchomp that it." Lance folded his arms.

"I want a battle!" Clair answered. "Tell me where he is."

"How would I know, for Arecus sake he moves fast that only Leader Pakura can track him?" Lance gave her a funny look. "Where's the others?"

"Going around asking people if they have seen him. I decided to wait for you to ask you instead." Clair grumbled. "Do you know our people are trying to induct him into our Clan? Imagine Ash in our clan"

"Obviously." Lance said dryly. However, he had no intention of letting the Clan members near him, not if he had anything to say about it. "But I don't think it's a good idea, using him to restore our clan. I won't like it either, if I were going to be used for this purpose only. Why do you think Shiki defected from the Clan? It's because he knows how biased our clan can be. Beside you did leave a bruise mark on Ash when you attacked him all those years ago."

"Shiki just can't cope with the Elder's rules, and hey I was not the only one to attack him " Clair said dismissively.

"No, Shiki knows he shouldn't follow the rules he knows would ultimately harm instead of help. And I am beginning to know what I should do as well, that is why I gave up the investigation. Because I know what had happened all those years ago, how our clan ruined one little girl. If they are willing to harm one innocent toddler for the sake of the purity of the Clan, there is no telling what else they are willing to do. Worst is that our clan did the same when we attacked Ash who was just still a young boy." Lance felt a need to defend his friend. After all, he was the one who took Ash and the curse girl in when no one else wanted her.

"What are you talking about, Lance?" Clair was shaking her head. "The Cursed Child was-"

"Have you ever thought about what she did that earned her the nickname? Nothing! She did nothing wrong. She never asked to be born this way. It was her promiscuous mother who is at fault for cheating, and yet the little girl took the blame." Lance cut her off. He love his cousin, but she is a way too respectful of the Elders of the Dragon Clan.

"You seem to have real issues lately, Lance." Clair was disgusted. "I could really use your help in the investigation so we can bring the killer to justice, and you totally let me down by saying you won't continue with the investigation. Do you know for a Clan Leader, how disappointing this-"

Keep in mind that Lance had witnessed what the members of his Clan from the previous generation did to one little girl and basically ruined her childhood, and how they ruined another child innocent and showed darkness towards him. And he has to hear how disappointing he'd be to the Dragon Clan as the Leader for showing reluctance to convict someone who was a victim of circumstances?

"Clair, shut the fuck up and stop acting a little girl!" Lance said as he snapped. He had never actually told Clair to shut up before. Not ever, since they were on so good terms with each other. He didn't know what happened, really, but it's probably something to do with how his Clan had ruined the Dragon Duo, and he was forced to lead them. Unfortunately, however, just as he told her to shut up, his Elites came out, ready for lunch.

"Whoa." Will said, backing up when he sensed the tension between the two cousins.

"What did you just say to me?" Clair said quietly but deadly.

"Look, seriously, I know you have good intentions for the Clan, but our actions are what caused our reputation to go down, and the Dragon Duo themselves to leave the Clan. And if we go on like this, we'll never amount to anything. And neither would you be able to defeat Ash!" With that, he swung his heels, and stormed off towards his room, slamming the door behind him.

"What is his problem?" Clair said as she was glaring at the door Lance disappeared behind. "And what does he mean by that's why they left? Ash isn't even from Blackthorn City."

"Why do you ask us? You're his cousin, you know him the best." Karen shrugged.

"I tried to read his mind, but apparently he has been training his mind against mental intrusions, since I can't get anything from him. He's definitely hiding something. I think he knows who killed the Dragon Clan, but for some reason, doesn't wish to hand down the punishment. Maybe one of the PAL Elites told him."

"They know?" Clair was clenching her fists now. "But who could have told him?"

"Who is your first suspect?" Bruno shot back.

"Dragon Prince Ash or Shiki...." She was her prime suspect because of Lance

"There you go. Either those two most likely knows who killed the Dragon Clan, but gave the information to Lance in exchange for not incriminating the person." Koga answered.

Clair walked off, continuing her task in finding Ash. She got a lot to answer for, in addition to a battle.

____________________________________________________________________________

Ash sensed someone coming, and he groaned as he put his head on the table, weeping a little at his fate. Hunter and Sage looked at each other, before the door burst open to reveal the Dragon Masters with a plus one (Iris) who were after him ever since his status as the member of the Dragon Duo was exposed.

"Who dares to interrupt the meeting?" Hunter said in his angry cold voice, slamming the table for emphasis.

"Who are you? And who do you think you are, interrupting the meeting like this?" Sage asked pulling her AK 47 .

"Oh, I'm sorry. We thought it was the...bathroom!" Clair improvised.

"I'll handle these guys." Sage shook her head, as there is actually a sign outside that said, "Meeting in Progress", but they ignored it because they knew Ash was in there.

Two minutes later, Sage scared them off when she was shooting at them (Not on purpose) making them run  out of the back door.

"And if you dare come in again without a good reason, I won't hesitate to use force!" Logia hissed, as he slammed the door, and make his way back to the meeting room.

"Two of us should wait for him at the front door, and two at the back. And once he comes out, we grab hold of Ash? and drag him off to battle." Iris whispered.

"Good idea." The others nodded, and went to their assigned spots. However, they forgot that Ash was also a part Psychic specialist, which means he can counter that using teleport.

Later

"Did you get your battle?" Brock asked, but seeing Iris' furious look on her face was answer enough.

"When we found Ash, he got the two people with him to throw us out!" Iris fumed. "I don't know why he can't pause the meeting to battle us, He is the Prince, isn't he?"

"Maybe he really busy?" Cilan suggested.

"Cilan, whose side are you on?" Iris snapped. "All I want is a battle from him. Is it that difficult? Is ash afraid to battle or something? Afraid that he'd lose to me?"

"Yeah, maybe the Dragon Prince is weaker than you think." May nodded. "So why bother asking him for a battle?"

"Because I'm going to take his title of his head, of course!" Iris exclaimed. "If he is really as weak as you say, and afraid to battle, I will force him to battle and take the Prince title from him, and first thing I'll do is release Misty and demand that Champion Ash return Manaphy to you and marry you."

"Hey, that's a great idea and Ash and me being married" May squealed. "Brock, what do you think?"

"I think they should also admit their crimes of stealing your Pokémon, and hand them over to you. Throw them in jail while you're at it." Brock scoffed.

"See Iris, you got your supporters." Max grinned.

"Just you wait, Dragon Prince Ash" Iris seethed. "I will force you to battle, and once I win I will take your Prince title away from you." The Prince can't evade them for long....right?

Meanwhile with Ash. 

"Ghaaa." Ash said as the dream had been unexpected, as he had been battling nightmares for the past few days. At that moment, the connecting door opened, and an irate Pakura looked worried at Ash. Apparently, she heard Ash shout, and it worried her

"What now?" Pakura demanded.

"Nightmare, that's all." Ash waved her off. "Go back to sleep."

Careful not to rouse Espeon or Lucario, Pakura stepped into the room with her Skitty, who was awake as well, and sat beside Ash. She touched his hand, and remarked, "You're cold." before taking the blanket Ash had around his waist, and wrapped it around all three of them, enveloping him in her warmth and Skitty's furry heat. "You can tell me, you know. I've been the one hearing all about your dreams, haven't I?"

"Yeah. I had another one of those dreams again. This time, it's about Giovanni."

"What about him?" Pakura asked, concealing her rage.

"He's was torturing  me." Ash whispered. "Sometimes when I wake up...All I see myself is a monster."

"We all need you here, you know. I guess I worry that anytime, someone would be here to try and capture you." Pakura said as Ash sighed

"With you all taking turns to watch me, and me being as powerful as I am, do you think it'd be easy to take me? As the Champion, I think if you want to keep me safe, you can. When we created the Elite Four as the Dragon Prince, Shiki's wish was that the Elite Four members and the Champion would be united and watch one another's backs when the times comes, and he passed the wish down to all of us in his death. I must keep that wish." Ash said

——/:////:::/:/://
"Not again!" Pakura shouted, not caring if it was against the rules of etiquette, as sitting at their living room couch again, was none other than the Dragon users. "What are you doing here so early in the morning? We haven't even started breakfast." She asked, though she knew it was already 10 plus.

"We're here to ask Ash for a battle." Clair informed her calmly. "Surely he free as he doesn't have to battle today."

"My boyfriend is sleeping." Pakura said curtly remembering seeing her boyfriend sleeping peacefully

"Then wake him up." Drake looked at her like the answer was obvious.

"I wouldn't do that." Pakura replied, getting tired of this. "He gets cranky when he-doesn't get his sleep. He will kill you" It was a lie, but she rather do it to compensate for Ash lack of rest lately, and those three are not helping with them pestering him for a battle, inconveniencing others in the process.

Clair, not listening, stood up, and made her way towards the doors, shouting for Ash to come out, and knocking on the doors to figure out which was his room.

"You know he,s a former Dragon Master, right?" Pakura sighed to Drake and Drayden. "And he hasn't been battling with his Dragon/Psychic Pokémon only for awhile."

"Well, once a Dragon Master, always a Dragon Master." Drayden replied.

"Then this applies to you I guess. Once a loser, always a loser?" Pakura asked sarcastically, as she heard Clair yelling for him to come out of his room and battle them.

"Ok, that's it." Pakura had enough, and teleported the three Dragon users someplace else as Ash walked out annoyed holding a knife as he looked for Clair before he smiled seeing Pakura

"Morning Handsome." Pakura said as Ash smiled and winked making Pakura blushed as he walked over to her and kissed her

Night time 

"What do you want?" Jude grumbled answering the phone .

"Where is Ash?" Dragon trainer asked Much to Jude's chagrin, the voice belonged to one of the Dragon users. Was it Drayden or Drake? Either way, he didn't care.

"Sleeping, duh." Jude replied, like it was obvious. After all, not many people stay up after 2 am. In fact, none of them does that, except Ash, but ever it was clear he needed to be watched 24/7 again after what Pakura told them, Jude took it upon himself to take the night shift.

"Darn...can you somehow wake him up? Tell him it's something important." Clair said in the phone.

"I can pass a message, what is it?" Jude asked, though he had a feeling he knew what it was about.

"Tell him to meet us at the lobby at 3am. We're going to have a battle." Drake told Jude.

"Please wait a moment." Jude went over to put some earplugs in Ash ears, since he knew he was a light sleeper as he looked at the sleeping Ash who had Pakura wrapped in his arms , and he didn't want Ash sleep to be disturbed from what he was about to do...or say, for that matter. Pakura on the other hand was sleeping so tired and the only one who could wake her was Ash

When he got to the phone, however, he took a breath, before shouting, "DO YOU THINK HE IS THAT FREE TO WAKE UP AT 3AM JUST TO BATTLE A BUNCH OF DRAGON TRAINERS?!" He followed it up with some cuss words, but was interrupted when Ash mumbled sleepily, and asked, "Who's that, Jude?" Apparently, he could hear Jude even with his tiredness.

Jude put the phone on hold and said in a gentler voice, "Oh nothing...some irritating salesman keeps on calling. Go back to sleep Ash."

"Salesman?" Drake echoed incredulously, but Jude did not hear since he had put the receiver on the table.

"Do you want me to handle it?" Ash mumbled.

"Let me handle it. After all, You are very tired from the last battle, I should do it for you." Jude smiled.

"Ok..." Ash muttered, and went back to sleep, and Jude resumed the call after putting the earplugs more securely.

"We're not salesmen!" Clair protested.

"Who the hell cares?! You are all very irritating and inconsiderate, since you are calling at such a late hour! Now shut up and stop calling!" With that, Jude slammed the phone.

"Why are you shouting, Jude?" Pakura mumbled securing herself peacefully in Ash arms.

"Those Dragon trainers called and asked me to tell Ash to come down to the lobby at 3am for a battle." Jude replied angrily. "I have half a mind to let them meet him and let Ash kill them or something."

"I will deal with them trying to get my boyfriend to battle them. I promised his sister that I will do what I must to protect him." Pakura said annoyed as she nuzzled her boyfriend cheek affectionately kissing his cheek as Jude smiles at the scene as Ash sighed in his relief snuggling closer to Pakura in his arms